209 lines
9.8 KiB
Plaintext
209 lines
9.8 KiB
Plaintext
----------------------
|
|
-- --
|
|
-- How to make --
|
|
-- Sugar Rockets --
|
|
-- --
|
|
--Written & Typed by--
|
|
-- Cloaked Warrior --
|
|
-- --
|
|
----------------------
|
|
|
|
Combine these 3 substances in the following proportions by weight:
|
|
|
|
Potassium Nitrate.......63%
|
|
Sugar...................27%
|
|
Sulfur..................10%
|
|
(you can by this stuff at the drug store)
|
|
|
|
Note: use a diet scale or a gun reloading scale to measure the ingredients
|
|
|
|
|
|
What to do with the chemicals
|
|
-----------------------------
|
|
Put the 3 combined chemicals into a plastic refrigerator container with a very
|
|
tight lid (use a soft margarine container). Now be sure that the lid is on
|
|
TIGHT. Shake the container for about three minutes. You just made the rocket
|
|
propellant! This should be a yellowish powder...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Making the Casing(s)
|
|
-------------------
|
|
Items needed:
|
|
2 inch wide gummed, brown paper packaging tape
|
|
Scotch tape
|
|
1 foot length of 1/4 inch diameter hardwood dowel
|
|
single edged razor blade
|
|
wet sponge
|
|
|
|
Cover the hardwood dowel with several strips of Scotch tape (layed lengthwise
|
|
onto the dowel). Now cut a strip of gummed paper packaging tape (8 in. long)
|
|
and lay it, gummed side DOWN, on a flat surface. Dampen all but the last inch
|
|
of the back of the tape with a wet sponge. Turn the tape over and start at the
|
|
dampened end, start rolling it up around the Scotch-tape-covered dowel. After
|
|
having one layer of tape around the dowel, moisten the GUMMED side of the rest
|
|
of the tape and roll it up around the dowel as tightly as possible.
|
|
|
|
Problem(s):
|
|
|
|
Many times the paper tape will start to run off to one side or the other. You
|
|
can correct it like this (example-run off to the LEFT):
|
|
|
|
Use a single edged razor blade to the unrolled portion of the tape right next
|
|
to the roll. Start the slit at the LEFT edge of the tape and cut across the
|
|
tape to within 1/4/ of an inch of the RIGHT edge. Once the tape has been
|
|
partially cut, pull it to the RIGHT and correct the mistake. (Or vice-versa)
|
|
|
|
LAST STEP IN MAKING THE CASING: when done rolling a casing, hold the last edge
|
|
of the tape against a flat surface for a few moments; then slide the casing off
|
|
the dowel and ALLOW IT TO DRY...you can also bake the casing(s) in your kitchen
|
|
oven at 160 degrees (F) for about 30 minutes...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Making the Nozzles
|
|
------------------
|
|
Items needed:
|
|
Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty
|
|
Epoxy Glue (part A and part B)
|
|
'Six Penny' (3/32") Ungalvanized finishing nails
|
|
(quantity: amount of casings made)
|
|
one length of 1/4 inch diameter hardwood dowel
|
|
a 7/64 inch diameter drill bit
|
|
a 1/8 inch diameter drill bit
|
|
|
|
'Six Penny' finishing nails are about 3/32 inch in diameter. You will now make
|
|
the core of your rocket(s). Instead of using finishing nails you may use piano
|
|
wire that have the same diameter. You must pack the propellant down around the
|
|
finishing nails or piano wire., then removing it when you're finished.
|
|
|
|
Problem(s):
|
|
The finishing nails have a little row of grooves right near the head. This
|
|
will cause problems as you pull the finished rockets of the nail, so piano
|
|
wire is prefered.
|
|
|
|
The nozzle is made of the putty. To one you are first going to form a little
|
|
1/4 inch long plug of putty in one end of each casing. You MUST only form a
|
|
1/4 inch long plug of putty otherwise...
|
|
|
|
We are now going to tell you how to make a gauge (in case you use too much
|
|
putty or too little than required). Cut off a six inch length of the 1/4 inch
|
|
hardwood dowel that you bought to use the casing with. Wrap about a dozen
|
|
layers of masking tape around it so that one edge of the masking tape is
|
|
EXACTLY 1-3/4 inches from one end of the dowel. Slide a casing over the dowel
|
|
and run the end of it up against this edge of the tape. If you look in the
|
|
open end of the casing, you will see a cavity exactly 1/4 of an inch deep.
|
|
Pack this cavity full of putty (not yet).
|
|
|
|
Mix the putty with water in a small tuna can to the appproximate consistency
|
|
of stiff bread dough. You can pack each cavity by simply pressing a wad of
|
|
putty into the end of the casing with your finger and wiping the excess of with
|
|
your thumb. Try to avoid creating air pockets or bubbles. After your done
|
|
with this, SLOWLY remove the dowel depth gauge. Then let it sit to dry for
|
|
a day or lay them on a cookie cheet in the oven and heat them at 140-160
|
|
degrees (F), depending on how many you made, for an hour to an hour and 30 min.
|
|
After the putty is hard and dry, drill a 7/64 inch diameter hole completely
|
|
through the center of each putty plug. If I were you, I would use a power
|
|
drill. But a hand drill is okay if you are careful and patient.
|
|
|
|
Now I will show you how to make a jig to hold the casings upright so drilling
|
|
a hole in each putty plug won't be a tough job. Get a thick block of wood and
|
|
drill 3/8 inch diameter holes in it and stand the casings, putty ends UP, in
|
|
the holes in the block. Mount your 7/64 inch drill bit in your drill press,
|
|
and start drillin' a hole in each putty plug. Get each hole well entered, so
|
|
work CAREFULLY.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loading the Propellant
|
|
----------------------
|
|
The sugar rocket that you are making are core-burners. To make a core-burner,
|
|
simply pack the propellant down around a dowel or mandrel. When the mandrel
|
|
is removed, it leaves behind a hollow core. The mandrel I used was a short
|
|
length of 3/32 inch diameter piano wire (well you can use a finishing nail or
|
|
piano wire). The core has to be about 1-1/4 inch long. The core starts at the
|
|
inside edge of the nozzle plug and extends to the inside edge of the forward
|
|
bulkhead plug. The nozzle plug is 1/4 of an inch thick, so the mandrel should
|
|
be 1-1/2 inch long. To make a mandrel, use a small hammer to pound on a six
|
|
penny finishing nail into a block of wood. Then use a pair of wire cutters to
|
|
snip it off to a length of exactly 1-1/2 inches. If you are using piano wire
|
|
and not finishing nails then do this:
|
|
|
|
Drill a 3/32 inch diameter hole in the block. Roughen up one end of the wire
|
|
with sandpaper or a file and glue the roughen end of the wire into the hole
|
|
in block with epoxy glue. When the glue is completely hard, grind the wire
|
|
to length with a grinding wheel.
|
|
|
|
X = Quanity of
|
|
If you made X rockets, make X mandrels on ONE block of wood (or a few blocks
|
|
if you made about 100 rockets). To use this, set each rocket casing, drilled
|
|
end DOWN, over each mandrel (you're ready to load them).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LOADING THE ROCKETS:
|
|
|
|
Step One
|
|
--------
|
|
To load the propellant, you must pack it down around the mandrel(s), so the
|
|
tamp that you use must have a hole drilled right in its center and deeper than
|
|
the length of the madrel wire inside the paper casing. Here is how to make the
|
|
tamp. Cut a 4 inch length of 1/4 inch hardwood dowel, sand the ends square,
|
|
stand it upright under the drill press, and drill a 1/8 inch diameter hole
|
|
right down the center of the dowel to a depth of 1-1/2 inches. You can also
|
|
use a brass or aluminum rod to make a nicer tamp instead of using the dowel.
|
|
But DO NOT USE STEEL! It is for your safety.
|
|
|
|
Note: If you have access to a machine lathe, the job will be much easier...
|
|
|
|
Step Two
|
|
--------
|
|
Next, make a paper funnel and place it over the open rocket casing, and fill it
|
|
with about 1/8 teaspoon of sugar-based rocket propellant. Use a small stick or
|
|
wire and poke it down into casing. Remove the funnel and insert the tamp you
|
|
made (drilled end DOWN) into the end of the casing. Pack the propellant down
|
|
around the wire mandrel by striking the tamp with a small hammer. Repeat this
|
|
step (3) until the tamped powder reaches the top of the mandrel. Wad up some
|
|
tissue paper, or paper towel, and pound it in on top of the powder. This
|
|
plug keeps the epoxy glue used to plug the front of the rocket from running
|
|
down and sticking to the madrel. Once the tissue plug is in place, fill the
|
|
rest of the casing with epoxy glue. After it has hardened, twist and pull
|
|
each rocket casing off of the mandrel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Priming and Firing
|
|
------------------
|
|
Go to a gun shop and buy a can of FFFF Fine black powder.
|
|
|
|
Priming the Rocket(s)
|
|
---------------------
|
|
To prime or fuse one these rockets stand it on end, nozzle-UP, and use a small
|
|
paper trough to fill the entire core hole up to the top with the black powder
|
|
you bought. Now you must cap it. Put about a teaspoon of the powder into a
|
|
jar and add water a few drops at a time, stirring with a stick as you go, until
|
|
the mixture is about the consistency of toothpaste. Then you take a small dab
|
|
of this powder paste on the tip of your finger and smear it over the nozzle
|
|
hole of the rocket that you just fused (primed). Make sure that the hole is
|
|
completely covered. Now just set the rocket(s) aside to allow the paste (cap)
|
|
to dry for about 30 minutes or so.
|
|
|
|
Firing the Rocket(s)
|
|
--------------------
|
|
The easiest way to launch the rocket(s) is to glue it onto a guide stick. You
|
|
can use hibachi sticks or shish kabob skewers. You can use a drop of instant
|
|
cyanoacrylate model cement or just use white glue and masking tape to glue on
|
|
the sticks. To ignite the rocket(s), you can use an electric igniter or just
|
|
tape a filament of wire from a piece of coarse steel wool over the priming cap,
|
|
attach each end to an electrical lead or alligater clips. Attach leads to a
|
|
strong battery (6-9 volts or a car battery), and fire by closing a switch to
|
|
complete the circuit. The current will make the steel wool wire glow red hot,
|
|
causing it to burn and ignite the priming cap...
|
|
|
|
|
|
How 'bout an Option:
|
|
|
|
A slow lift off: Prime or fuse with pyrodex or don't fill the core all the way
|
|
to the top with black powder. Put a little in....
|
|
|
|
|
|
Have fun! This text file was written and typed by Cloaked Warrior...
|
|
August 4, 1986 2:25 (pacific)....Watch for 'Improving your Socket'
|
|
Coming soon to AE near you!
|